Osteria La Buca

Impeccable service. Incredibly satisfying dining experience. This was a fabulous meal on all levels. I can't wait to come back. Total pros.

Italian food and service here is above par. I love this place always quality food & service. Service is typically great. Bring your appetite because portions are generous. This place has many reviews for a reason.

Nice place for tasty Italian food. Visited on a Thursday. The service here is friendly. This place has a cool atmosphere. Reminds me of a cafe in Chicago I loved to visit.

When I worked at Paramount Pictures I would jump at the chance to eat here. The food was always A+.
The owner hand chooses the tomatoes that make it to the restraunt and that attention to detail shows. I have never had a disappointing meal here and probably have been there 25 times.
I intend to make it there for my birthday but it is 47 miles away from where I currently live now, but it is worth the drive.

When we talk about great neighborhood restaurants, we mean those places you don’t ever have to worry about. You know the ones - you can just as easily walk in by yourself at lunch hour and cry over a bowl of pasta as you can with old friends at night to drink red wine and bitch about work politics. Either way, you know you’re getting good service in a comfortable environment, and you won’t be standing around long for a table either. Is the food out of this world? Probably not. But it doesn’t have to be. Everything else adds up to a tremendous experience anyways.

But what happens when the food is actually fantastic? You get Osteria La Buca - the Italian neighborhood spot where the pasta isn’t just great, it’s among the best in the city.

Located on that stretch of Melrose dominated by the never-ending Paramount Studios lot, Osteria La Buca’s brick exterior, large neon “pizza” sign, and floor-to-ceiling windows make it feel like it belongs in an entirely different neighborhood. Inside, the ceilings are high, there’s a large wall covered with chopped wood and used motorcycle helmets, and Tom Petty’s blasting over the sound system. Sleepy, neighborhood pasta spot Osteria La Buca is not. This place is cool, and they know it.